Plant-based vs. Beef burgers: New study shows meat protein packs more muscle-building power

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It may be time to put beef back on the menu. As plant-based meat alternatives continue gaining popularity, many consumers wonder if these products provide the same nutritional benefits as traditional meat. A new study has some answers, finding that a regular beef burger stimulates muscle growth more effectively than the same amount of a soy-based meat alternative.

Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) compared how the body processes protein from traditional beef patties versus Impossible Burgers, one of the leading plant-based alternatives. The results suggest that while plant-based alternatives can eventually achieve similar muscle-building effects, you’d need to eat twice as much – and consume significantly more calories – to match the benefits of a single beef patty.

The study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition involved 24 healthy adults between ages 18 and 40, randomly divided into three groups. One group ate a 4-ounce beef patty (similar to a quarter-pound burger), another consumed a 4-ounce Impossible Burger, and the third group ate two 4-ounce Impossible Burgers. Using sophisticated tracking methods involving stable isotopes – special molecules that can be traced through the body – researchers measured how efficiently each type of burger stimulated muscle protein synthesis, the process by which the body builds and repairs muscle tissue.

The results were clear: the single beef patty triggered significantly more muscle protein synthesis than the same size plant-based patty. While eating two Impossible Burgers (8 ounces total) eventually achieved similar muscle-building effects as the single beef burger, this required consuming nearly twice the calories (462 vs. 279 calories).

“While both beef and soy are considered ‘complete’ proteins, the amino acids in beef are simply more available for the muscle to use efficiently,” says Robert Wolfe, Ph.D., a UAMS professor of geriatrics and the study’s principal investigator, in a media release. “This efficiency can be important since the body is in a constant state of protein turnover to rebuild and repair proteins for functional health, especially when combined with physical activity and as part of healthy development and aging.”

What makes beef more effective?

The answer lies in how our bodies process different types of protein. Beef contains a higher concentration of essential amino acids – the building blocks of protein that our bodies can’t produce on their own. More importantly, these amino acids from beef appear in our bloodstream more quickly and in higher concentrations than those from soy-based alternatives.

Think of it like two different delivery services bringing supplies (amino acids) to a construction site (your muscles). The beef protein is like a direct express delivery that arrives quickly and all at once, giving the construction crew (your muscle-building machinery) everything they need to work efficiently. The soy protein is more like a slower delivery service that gets held up along the way, with some supplies being diverted to other locations before reaching the construction site.

This study doesn’t suggest that plant-based alternatives are nutritionally inadequate – they still provide protein and can stimulate muscle growth. However, consumers should understand that they may need to eat larger portions to achieve the same muscle-building benefits as meat, which means consuming more calories in the process.

“Protein quality matters as much as quantity,” Wolfe says. “This research underscores the fact that foods like nutrient-rich ground beef can offer more muscle-building benefits, and that’s critical as people make dietary choices, especially when balancing calorie intake.”